Finally, Help For The Directionally Impaired

When I say I have no sense of direction, I am not exaggerating. I mean NO sense of direction. It’s like a mental disability.

I get lost constantly.  For me, getting there is never half the fun. It’s a serious intellectual challenge. It’s a great irony that I love to travel.

I’m notorious for dragging my family on long walks in the wrong direction. When I pull into a gas station on an unfamiliar route, I have to tell myself out loud whether I will need to turn left or right on exiting to continue on the same path.

When I’m walking in an unfamiliar area, I have to turn around frequently to imprint the scene on my mind so that I’ll recognize it on my return.

I’m beyond being embarrassed about it. But I rarely ask directions because I usually can’t follow them.

The GPS I got for Christmas is helping enormously, although the word I hear most often is “recalculating” because I so often head the wrong way despite its directions. 

That is why I am going to get this new book titled “Never Get Lost Again: The Complete Guide to Improving Your Sense of Direction” I’m really quite excited about the idea that there’s help for this condition.

Less Competent Pilots Mean More Crashes

Eight of the nine serious regional airline crashes in the past 20 years involved pilots who had failed “check rides” multiple times, USA Today reports this morning. 

Some commenters reponded that the tests are so difficult that qualified pilots frequently fail them, but the article backs up its point. It cites fewer crashes on major airlines and much lower rates of failure among pilots involved in those crashes.

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